How To Remove Baseboard Heater?

Baseboard heaters require removal from their original location for various reasons. The most common reason is to renovate the room. Besides, older baseboard heaters become faulty and are likely to cause accidents. That is why the faulty baseboard heaters require removal for exchange or repairing.

For removing the baseboard heater it is recommended to use the professional’s help. But, if it is not possible or you want to save some buck then this article will walk you through the removal procedure.

Electric baseboard heaters and hydronic baseboard heaters are completely different in the installation process. Hydronic baseboard heaters are way much tougher and require heavy instruments for the removal process.

Contents

When should you remove the baseboard heater?

Removal or replacements of the baseboard heater may be required for the stated scenarios.

When the baseboard heater gets fried up due to overheating.
When the main circuit board of the baseboard heater gets an electric short circuit damaged.

When the renovation of the home or the rooms takes place.
When the baseboard heater becomes very old and does not work properly.
If the brushes and air regulator of the hydronic baseboard heater gets completely damaged.

If the hot water pipes need replacement.
The mainframe and inner metals get corrosion affected and easily deteriorated.

How to remove the baseboard heater?

The baseboard heater removal process can be tedious and time-consuming. In order to effectively remove the baseboard heater, we shall walk through the stated rules.

Removal of Electric Baseboard Heaters

Electric baseboard heaters have electric wire connections that come from inside the wall. These baseboard heaters are light in weight and easy to remove. Since the entire electric baseboard heater comes in a single unit, it takes less time to remove. You can thyself remove the electric baseboard heaters without needing the help of an expert or professionals.

First of all, switch off the main electric line of the baseboard heater.
Turn off all the switches from the mainboard.

Unscrew the lagged bolts and screws that keep the heater attached to the wall.
Remove the heater and keep it aside.
Unscrew all the screws from the wire panel,

Make sure and double-check there are no live wires.
Unscrew the wire caps by rotating them in the anti-clockwise direction.
Some wires may require wire cutters to completely detach.

Detach the baseboard heater from the wall.
Check for any live wires from the wall socket.
Use wire caps(insulated) to seal the mouth of the metallic wire.

Using the electrical tape, wrap up the wire cut areas with complete protection.
Finally, shove the wires inside the socket and use drywall coatings to seal the surface until further use.

Removal of Hydronic Baseboard heaters

Hydronic baseboard heaters otherwise known as hot water baseboard heaters have a different mechanism. It uses running hot water from the boiler through copper pipes. The main boiler remains located inside the basement. And the pipes for running waters pop up in each room, where the baseboard heaters are assembled on the pipes.

First of all, double-check all the pipe valves are sealed shut.
Make sure the boiler is not running and is turned off from the mainline.
Cut off all the electrical connections if available.

Coming to the baseboard heater, hemmer the side panels to get rid of the coverings.
Unscrew all the lagged bolts and screws to get rid of the housing of the baseboard.
Using the ceramic cutter machine, cut through the pipes that connect the baseboard heater.

Use acetylene flame to make the pipe connection loosened and cut through it.
Finally, remove the old baseboard heater from the place.
Remove the remaining metallic panels or frames.

The pipe mouths require complete shut shearling till the next use.
Make sure the boiler remains turned off until the new baseboard heater is assembled.

What do you do with wires after removing the baseboard heater?

The electric baseboard heaters leave a series of wires from the wall socket. These wires must be treated or else unwanted accidents may occur if the wires go live. Each wire mouth should be covered with insulated caps.

The caps must be tightened completely. In order to confirm the safety, further duct tape or electric tapes should be used to wrap up the metallic part of the wires. Finally, the wires should be pushed back inside the socket with complete sealing of the drywall.

What is the cost of removing the baseboard heater?

The expense of removing the baseboard heater depends upon the type of the baseboard heater. It is more convenient and easy to remove the electric baseboard heaters. Besides, this procedure requires a lesser amount of energy, labor, and instruments as well.

On the other side, Hydronic baseboard heaters are comparatively hard to remove. And it requires heavy machinery and expert advice and supervision. Therefore, this removal process is more expensive than the other.

On average it requires $50-60 to remove the electric baseboard heaters. But, removal of the hot water baseboard heater may require $80-120 of expense.

What are the best replacing options for the baseboard heater?

Baseboard heaters have certain disadvantages and hazardous expectations. There are some other more sustainable options that can replace the use of baseboard heaters.

The Ductless Heat Pumps

Ductless heating pumps are a convenient option for replacing baseboard heaters. It consists of several parts such as compressor, condenser, and blower. These parts are assembled by combining the inner and outer space of the house. It is based on the principle of refrigeration. The house remains heated and warm due to the regular flow of conditioned hot air from outside.

Furnace Heating System

An advanced furnace heating system keeps the house fairly warm. It is a cheaper and economical way to replace the baseboard heaters. Besides, the hazardous effect is very low for this house warming system.

Traditional Wood Burning

This is the most economical way to keep your house warm. Though it requires regular feeding of wood into the fireplace. This can be somewhat stressful. But compared to the disadvantages of the baseboard heater, the rating of safety is higher in this case.

Solar heat conductive surfaces

You can also use solar energy to warm up your house. This process is the most eco-friendly and requires minimal effort. All you need is to install heat conductive coatings on the walls which receive heat from outside and radiate inside. Bt, this method is useless on a gloomy, rainy day.

FAQ

The general and curious questions asked by the users regarding the baseboard heater will be discussed in this section.

Can you remove baseboard heating?

You can remove the baseboard heaters from your house. All you need is the required machinery and guidelines to follow the procedure. If not, it is better to seek expert advice for the removal process.

Do you need an electrician to replace a baseboard heater?

Electric baseboard heaters are quite easy to remove. It does not require an electrician to replace the baseboard heater. But, if you feel lost then ask for a professional’s help in the replacing process of the baseboard heater.

How hard is it to remove baseboard heating?

Removing baseboard heaters is a piece of cake if you possess the required heavy machinery. Besides, you must require the step by step walk-through for completing the procedure. Removal of an electric baseboard heater is easier than that of a Hydronic baseboard heater.

Conclusion

There will be several occasions when you might need to remove and replace the old baseboard heater. For doing this you must know the ins and outs of the removal process of the baseboard heaters. Because the system is quite dangerous and hazardous as well. Following safety protocols is a must while continuing the removal process.

If you know perfectly how to remove a baseboard heater then you might save some bucks. But otherwise, it is highly recommended to seek professional service for removing the baseboard heater.